Automotive

Brembo presents new low-weight calipers for high-end cars

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The new brake caliper from Brembo saves weight by strategically placed openings on its body
Brembo
Brembo says its new brake caliper saves 8 percent in weight without affecting stiffness
Brembo
The new brake caliper from Brembo saves weight by strategically placed openings on its body
Brembo

Dealingwith copious amounts of horsepower demands adequate braking capability. This usuallyentails large brake calipers that add to the vehicle’s unsprung mass. Brembohas just unveiled a new series of calipers whose patented design translates tolower weight without any compromise in rigidity.

Brembo introducedits new family of aluminum fixed calipers at the 66th Frankfurt Motor Show. These are designed for high-end cars thatrequire disks with large braking surfaces, something that inevitably translatesto sizeable, heavy calipers.

Thepatented design is marked by five openings on the body of the caliper that createhollow areas in selected low-stress sections. Two openings on the front side ofthe caliper cover an area between 16 and 22 sq cm (2.5 to 3.4 sq in) andthe three openings on the bridges measure between 7 and 11 sq cm (1.1 to 1.7sq in). These cavities in the caliper body are calculated to save approximately8 percent of weight in total.

Accordingto Brembo, the caliper design is the result of more than 100,000 hours ofdevelopment since 2011, whereby the exact areas where metalcould be removed without compromising the overall performance of the calipers was determined.

Brembo says its new brake caliper saves 8 percent in weight without affecting stiffness
Brembo

The new calipers will be available in 17-inch (5.9 kg / 13 lb in weight), 18-inch(7.7 kg / 17 lb) and 19-inch (8 kg / 17.6 lb) versions. So far there is no information on whether there are plans for caliper types other than the four-piston in the two released images. Apparently Brembo is alreadyplanning to supply car manufacturers with brake kits specifically designed forindividual high-end models.

Source: Brembo

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3 comments
Bob Stuart
100,000 hours to design that? Either somebody is doing all the math by hand, they don't understand the basic problem, or 99% of the effort is going into styling. I'm sure glad I won't be paying that bill.
Don Duncan
Bob Stuart: Only those who buy the high-end model pay. But I doubt there would be any savings, a pay back.
This is the kind of business decision that typifies a monopoly. While technically there are no monopolies here, the government-corporation interactions make competition very difficult. This was the purpose of the corporation being created. It facilitates crony capitalism (which is a misleading term because capitalism is free enterprise, e.g., enterprise free from regulation). When govt. makes law that favors existing enterprise over new comers, we all lose, which is why govt. rationalizes their immoral behavior as "consumer protection".
Kristianna Thomas
Bob and Don, I'm missing something out of the monolog of yours, although, I am not a structural engineer and only understand the basic principals of breaking technology, what does style and payback have to do with the engineering concepts of the caliper? There is a lot stats on how fast a car can go from 0 to 60 in ? seconds, but what does it take to stop something that is going at a high rate of speed; including high speed rail systems. The article discusses the weight to stress ratios and the amount of time it took to validate is findings, and you talk as if the only consideration is style. The high speed caliper looks nice, but unless your a auto mechanic; most people will never see the damn thing in their life time. What is the payback? Maybe the payback is not slamming into the car in front of you while your cruising at 90 miles an hour on the Audubon.